Most effective way to train

S

soryu

New member
Hi guys, a question from an busy person that would want some improvement in my shooting skills.

I able to get to range about three times a month because of my busy schedule. Whenever I want some range time with my guns I go to an indoor or outdoor range.

I clearly know that I need to shoot more to get better in marksmanship. I did have some basic group classes. Somehow I feel I'm wasting time in the range if I just go and shoot. I also feel I'm not gotten better after my session in the range, so I'm now at some point of self-doubt.

Would it be better to have some one-on-one instruction or join a group class?

What else can I do to become better at safe and precise gun handling?


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Any instruction with a competent instructor is bound to help.
If you can get one on one, that's even better.
If not, find small classes to attend.
The smaller the better, so as to get some personal attention.
 
Get some good instruction if possible from someone who can help you build solid fundamentals. Keep in mind too that there's a lot of good training you can do at home for no cost. Practice your draw, mag changes, and dry fire while watching tv. It will absolutely make a difference when you go to the range.
 
There's a difference between training and practice.
Without training, you might very well be practicing all wrong.
First get the training and then you will know what and how to practice.
Chicken before the eggs.
 
I feel compelled to jump in here because I'm in the same circumstance as the OP.

I only started shooting this year. I took basic training classes and watched mucho videos on YouTube and read hundreds of articles. But my pistol shooting was not improving to my satisfaction. Mostly, I went to the range and continued doing what I was doing before, expecting significant improvement that didn't happen ... and spending a lot of ammo doing so.

Lately though, I've been using snap caps mixed in with live rounds at the range. I mix 5 snap caps with 1 live round and focus on the fundamentals. It's told me I wasn't focusing on the front sight enough and my follow through was horrible. My marksmanship is now improving much faster and I have far fewer flinches.

As a side benefit, I don't burn through as much ammo as I used to. Very far from it. I went to the range today. I had 300 trigger pulls but only spent 50 rounds of ammo.
 
Yes, absolutely.
It's not necessary to burn up hundreds of rounds to have an effective practice session.
Although I much prefer using realistic air guns, rather than all the dry firing I used to do.
Better feedback making actual holes in the target, especially for practicing point shooting.
But having a knowledgeable person watching and making all those essential small corrections will definitely speed things up.
 
Another advantage of mixing snap caps with live rounds during practice sessions is: when the gun goes click, I practice the "Tap Rack Bang" drill (although I don't do the bang right away yet).

I want to ingrain this skill, should I ever have a misfire during an actual gun battle (heaven forbid).
 
This has been a very good and informative thread so far. I'm surprised it hasn't generated more replies than it has.

Thank you soryu for starting it, and welcome to the The Firing Line forums.
 
Most efffective waay to train

Join the Marines or Army Green Berets or Rangers and after a touror two your instincts and handling capability will be honed pretty good.
 
Tinbucket said:
Join the Marines or Army Green Berets or Rangers and after a touror two your instincts and handling capability will be honed pretty good.
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Thanks for posting but c'mon man. Do you really think soryu, the OP and new member should join the Marines, Army Green Berets, or Rangers in order to shoot better?

C'mon man. We can do better than that to help a new member and new shooter, can't we?
 
He knows how to shoot, just wants more practice.
Same for me. I don't shoot much here because of deer and turkeys .
I joined a shooting club with trap and skeet and riffle and handgun ranges.
Practicing with snap caps is next to worthless and may lead to absent minded discharge.
I don't know where he lives but there may be indoor ranges, if he is in a city.
If practicing for safe shooting same goes, concentrate on the rules and observe them every time.
Accuracy with weapon, that takes ammo, or perhaps a gas chaarged pellet pistol, and less requirement for backstop etc.
We've all heard thsi same things before.
 
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Would it be better to have some one-on-one instruction or join a group class?
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One on one with a competent instructor is better of course. He can observe what you are doing and coach fine tuning into what you are doing.

Curious what your base line is? Accuracy? Speed? Which are you trying to improve?
 
You can practice weapons manipulation and dry fire off a shot timer if or an app if you dont have a shot timer. It will for sure make a difference when you go shoot. If you are able to try and find some BLM or outdoor place you can shoot where there isnt a range master up ur arsse so you can actually practice some real stuff.
 
Shooting in an IDPA style match is a lot of fun and you will learn a lot about gun safe handling. I strongly recommend trying a few matches. You will make a lot of like minded friends too.
 
Have you tried using one of the correction targets?

http://pistol-training.com/archives/292

I would also encourage you to read the article on that page. Turns out the target is most useful if you are shooting one handed, which I previously was not.

To get value from the target, you must:

1. Shoot one handed
2. Use the appropriate target (right or left handed)
3. Shoot slowly
4. Have a perfect sight picture for every shot

Why? Because the target does not take into account anything you might do to upset your sight alignment with your support hand, nor does it account for any misalignment in your sights.


EDIT -

Also, check out this video from Rob Leatham. Basically he says don't even worry about aiming yet. Focus on being able to grip the gun tight, and pull the trigger without making the rest of the gun move. Aiming comes later.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li0rGtXh23I
 
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I go to an indoor or outdoor range
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As opposed to....?

Sorry I couldn't resist:D

If it was me taking lessons I would take a few group classes to get the basics and then one or two (or more) private lessons to refine what I learned.

Private lessons have the potential of being vastly better learning experiences than group settings, however for someone who just want's to learn the fundamentals, it may not be cost effective initially.

Just be sure to train with discipline and don't develop any bad habits!
 
I've been continuing my training using snap caps mixed with live rounds -- 5 snap caps mixed with 1 live round. It has helped me tremendously. My range officer friend noticed and congratulated me. Then he told me a story.

A competition shooter told him that he was off and was going back to using snap caps.

And just today, at the range, a different (young) range officer watched me and eventually asked me why I use dummy rounds.

I explained: Because I have a flinching habit and using snap caps cures it. Whether the gun goes bang or click, the shooting process is the same. Also, I don't burn through ammo like I used to and I also ingrain the "tap, rack, bang" drill.

I told him to talk with my range officer friend about it. He replied "that's awesome"

Cheers.
 
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What ever technique works is good.
But there's really no substitute for learning how to shoot a handgun from an expert.
With a really knowledgeable person watching your every move and making the necessary corrections will help anyone greatly improve.
Flinching, accuracy, speed, what ever needs fixing.
There's so many nuances to shooting, especially handguns, that its nearly impossible to grasp them on your own.
Yes, it's an effort and expense to attend a genuine class, but the results are so well worth it, it's just about a must for most of us to become truly good.
Just a thought, often repeated.....
 
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